Four up-and-coming global hiring trends for 2018

The international job market is ever-changing, and hiring managers are often finding themselves in new waters each time they have a vacancy.

Developments in technology in recent years have led to a near reversal of the hiring culture that was once known in previous years, but that doesn't mean that you should be intimidated by the process. While it's difficult to really know what methods are going to work without trying them first, we've put together a list of four key trends, based on the reported trends of 2017, that could help you hire the best candidates for your organization in 2018.

Aiming for diversity of applicants

There's no way of knowing if a job listing has reached the best possible applicants, but getting it out to a wider array of candidates, both domestic and international, will increase the likelihood that it will. Plus, opening jobs to international applicants brings the potential for new perspectives, and, when there's a candidate shortage in a particular field, recruits more and better candidates.

Focusing on employer branding

Employer branding, according to Management Study Guide, refers to the image of your organization from the perspective of its desired talents and professionals. What they'll want to know from an organization's branding is: Do my values and goals align with this company? Will I be able to grow in this company? Essentially: Do I want to work for this company? According to Smart Recruit Online, you can build your employer brand simply by finding out how your past and present employees feel about the company. Adding that information to the recruitment pages or vacancy announcements, or making a point to include it in the interview process, gives applicants an idea of the culture of the recruiting organization.

Strength-based recruitment tactics

Most hiring managers will simply be looking for competence in their candidates: whether they can do the job and whether they have done it before. While of course an experienced applicant is desirable, a candidate that is passionate and excited about the field is even more valuable, not only in an in-office position, but also for professionals who are working from home, who may find it harder to separate work and personal life. Passionate workers are essential, because they will be more likely to continuously and consistently provide high-quality work, and less likely to burnout or disengage from their position. That's where strength-based recruitment works: it brings in employees who are both skilled and enthusiastic.

Out-of-the-box selection approaches

While of course the old-fashioned one-on-one and panel interviews are proven methods for hiring candidates, this may not necessarily be the way to get the best candidates. Using unique methods for candidate selection, such as group interviews, video profiling, and behavioral assessments will provide a more diverse and comprehensive idea of the character and passion of the individual. As exemplified in the Candidate Case Study by Heineken, it will likely improve the probability of finding not just a good candidate, but the best candidate, and one that fits seamlessly into the organization.

The job market these days is becoming more and more international, and with changing trends in hiring practices, it can be hard to keep up with candidate expectations. If you use these four tips to help you stay up-to-date in 2018, hopefully, you can find the international candidates you are looking for. If you're still having trouble, get in contact with U Diverse Global, and they'll use their extensive experience and holistic approach to get the job done right.

We support global organizations holistically who want to achieve their goals of working internationally by hiring and developing global talents, leaders and multicultural teams. We offer not only customized, top-quality international talent acquisition strategy, global leadership, teams, cross-cultural and diversity consulting and training programs, but we also provide in-depth coaching from ICF-certified coaches and trainers who speak French, English, Dutch, Spanish and German. Take action and schedule a free strategy session with us today.

Magali Toussaint is the founder of U Diverse. She is a certified talent acquisition strategist, an ICF-certified leadership and career coach, cross-cultural trainer and job search strategist with an extensive career in recruitment, HR, diversity, and education. She has lived and worked in over four countries and speaks French, English and Dutch.